


A Sunday Off

by Anonymous



Category: Diving RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:08:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23238967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: When Matty finds himself unable to sleep, he decides to go for a late-night run. But his plans change when he meets Grace, returning from a horrible date, on the ground floor of their block of flats. In the wee hours of a Sunday morning, what will the two friends get up to?
Relationships: Matty Lee/Grace Reid
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1
Collections: Anonymous





	A Sunday Off

**Author's Note:**

> Quarantine and Youtube Autoplay have led to this. More will likely come. Hope you enjoy.

Matty rolled on to his side and checked the time on his phone. It was nearly midnight, he’d been trying to sleep for almost an hour, but he was unfortunately still wide awake. It had been a long day of training, he should have been out the moment his head hit the pillow, but for some reason, his mind just wouldn’t shut off. He got out of bed with a groan and headed to his wardrobe, maybe a run would help him settle down. He had just gotten out of the lift when he saw a familiar face walk into the ground floor. “Grace?”

The blonde Scot started a bit and looked up at him. “Matty,” she relaxed. “Hi.”

“You look nice,” he smiled at her. She was wearing a light blue dress, heels, and a black knit wrap to keep out the chill in the air. “Hot date?”

Grace tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “More like a top contender for the worst date ever.”

“Oh?” He lifted a brow and leaned against the wall. “Worse than the guy took you to that Keto Cafe where everything had nuts in it and then told you that your allergy was mind over matter?”

“I think I would have preferred that actually,” she shook her head. “This was just…weird.”

“How so?”

She sighed. “We went to the theatre to see Les Miserable with his sister.”

“Well,” Matty scratched at his ear. “I mean a double with a sibling is a bit strange on the first date but-”

“No, no, no, no,” Grace cut him off and slapped lift button. “Just his sister.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Okay, yeah, that’s weird.”

“It gets worse,” she rolled eyes. “They were all over each other. Giving each other little kisses on the cheeks, running their fingers through each others hair, comforting each other,” she exaggerated the word. “They held hands for the entire second half. Then when it was over, and we were gathering our things, the old couple sat the other side of me tapped me on the shoulder and told me how lucky I was to have such a great example of love in my life. And instead of correcting them, they thanked them!”

“Wow, that’s…” Matty trailed off, at a loss for words.

“Creepy?” she suggested

“That works.”

“So what about you?” She changed topics as the lift doors opened. “Getting back from very late training or something?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” he shrugged. “I was just going to go for a run to tire myself out.”

“Oh,” she frowned. 

“But it looks like you could use an ear instead,” he offered.

“I don’t want to keep you,” Grace hesitated.

“Honestly,” he shoved his hands into his pockets. “I probably shouldn’t go out this late anyway. Unless you’d rather be alone; go to bed or something.”

“I’m feeling pretty wired myself,” she admitted. “Hot chocolate and telly at mine?”

“Sounds good,” he stepped into the lift and hit the button for her floor. 

Grace went to her room to change as soon as they got into her flat, while Matty headed to the sofa and loaded up Netflix. “Anything, in particular, you want to watch?” he called out.

“I don’t know,” she stepped out of her room in sweats and a messy bun. “Something mindless and light? Is that alright?”

He pulled up the comedies and flicked through as she went to the kitchen. “The Good Place?” They both seen it already, but it was funny and faded easily enough into the background if she wanted to talk.

“Perfect,” she smiled at him as she readied their drinks.

“Can I do anything to help?” He asked as she poured the milk.

“Because making hot chocolate is such a labour-intensive process?”

He laughed and sat back on the sofa. “So how’d you meet what’s his face anyways?”

“Simon,” Grace supplied. Matty shrugged, didn’t really care what the knobs name was. “We met at a coffee shop a few weeks back, chatted a while, exchanged numbers, and all that.”

“How very meet-cute of you, Miss Reid,” he teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him and picked up their mugs. “I don’t know,” she said as she came over to the sofa and passed Matty his drink. “He seemed so normal.”

“At least you learned on the first date he secretly wanted sleep with his sister rather later.” Grace leaned over and smacked his arm. “What,” he shrugged innocently. “It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

“God,” she shook head and took a sip of her hot chocolate. “It really is.”

“So what are you going to do?” Matty asked more seriously.

“I’ll text him in the morning,” she replied. “Tell him I don’t think we should see each other again.”

“Good,” he clinked her mug with his and gave her a wink. “Because you definitely deserve better than a guy who has the hots for his sister.”

Grace snorted with laughter, and the pair fell into a comfortable silence as they watched Kristen Bell wreck havoc in the afterlife. They were two episodes in when Grace’s phone pinged. “Unbelievable,” she glowered device. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What?” Matty asked, turning from the television.

“A text,” she gritted her teeth and held the device out to him. “From Simon.”

Matty took offered mobile and read. ‘Grace, it’s been really nice getting to know you over the last few weeks, but I don’t think we should see each other anymore. I talked it over with my sister, and we just don’t think I’d be able to handle the demands of your career. Your training schedule and how frequently you’re away at competitions, it’s not something that would be fair to me. I deserve to be with someone who is going to put me first, not some hobby. I’m sorry.”

“Wanker,” he sneered.

“Yup,” Grace agreed and looked up to see Matty typing away at her phone. “What are you doing?”

“Replying,” he said.

“Matty!”

“I’m gonna let you read it first,” he batted her hands away. “But you cannot let him have the last word.”

“What about being the bigger person, a mature adult?” He just gave her an indignant look. “Okay, fine,” she sat back. “But I have veto power.”

“Of course,” he finished typing with a grin and passed the phone back to her.

Grace bit her lip as she read what Matty had written. ‘That’s fine, Simon, in fact, I was going to say the same thing to you tomorrow. Because I want to be with a guy who understands and more importantly respects my ambitions and dreams like I would theirs. One who understands that a relationship is about being there to support each other. Not one person over the other. And more importantly, I, to use your word, deserve, to be with someone who would rather be in a relationship with me than with their own sister.’ She laughed at the words and without a second thought hit send. She set her phone back on the coffee table and sat back with a smug smile. 

Matty was stunned. “Did you really sent that?”

“Yup,” she smirked. “You summed it up perfectly.”

“You know it’s true, though right?” Matty asked after a few minutes of laughter.

“What?”

“You deserve to be with someone who’s going to support you in all you want to do,” he explained. “Not try and place himself, or his sister, above that. It shouldn’t even be a question.”

“Thanks, Matty,” she gave him a small smile then dipped her head back against the sofa with a sigh. “I don’t know, sometimes I just think that dating and diving don’t mix.”

“So you’re gonna what?” he asked. “Call the whole thing off until you retire? When’s that going to be? Four years, six, more?”

Grace shrugged.

“Nah, no way,” he shook his head. “I mean it’s tough, yeah, I get it. When I moved down to London, I had a girlfriend, and we barely lasted six months. It was hard for her, for both of us, between her schooling and my diving, we just couldn’t make it work. But it does: Jack and Lois, Dan and his girlfriend, Tom and Lance.”

“Jack and Lois don’t count,” Grace countered. “They both divers, and they dive out of the same club.”

“And your excuse for the rest of them?” she stayed silent. “Grace, you are talented and fierce, and funny, and smart, and so beautiful. You’re not going to have any trouble finding the right guy.”

Grace placed a hand on his arm, touched by his words. It’d been a long time since she’d heard Matty talk so seriously. “Now me, on the other hand,” he continued. “The pale, skinny guy, with too big a nose, I’m the one who’s going to struggle.”

“You will not,” she nudged his thigh with her toe. “You’re good looking and funny and sweet. You always make everyone around you smile, and feel lighter than they were before you got there. You’ll be fine.”

“Thanks, Grace,” He smiled and held an arm out to her. She shifted over and tucked herself into his side as he wrapped his arm tightly around her shoulder. With a quick kiss on the top of her head, they fell into silence once more.

Matty woke up the next forming to his alarm and an unfamiliar weight top of him. Grace, he remembered, they must have fallen asleep at some point during their binge-watch. Above him, Grace moaned and shifted herself awake. “Morning,” she greeted, her accent thicker with sleep.

“Morning,” he returned and cleared his throat. “Sorry, didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s fine,” she rolled off of him, stood and stretched before she headed to the kitchen. “Coffee?”

“Please,” Matty sat up, stretched his arms over his head until his shoulders let out a satisfying pop.

Grace pulled the bag from the freezer and frowned. “Change of plans, I have none,” she said. “Fancy a walk to the cafe, my treat?”

“Sure,” he nodded and rose from the sofa.

They decided to head to the Costa a few blocks away. When they arrived, Matty grabbed them a table in the back corner while Grace placed their order at the counter. 

“Here you go,” she handed him his latte a few minutes later and sat down across from him with her cappuccino. “I picked up a breakfast wrap too, want half?”

He nodded, and she handed him his half. “Thanks,” he mumbled around the mouthful.

“Thank you,” Grace said around her own bite. “For last night. It really meant a lot.”

“Of course,” he nodded. “You’d do the same for me. You have.” 

“It’s what friends do,” she lifted her mug up in cheers.

“That we do,” he grinned with a clink. “Through thick and thin, good and bad, cheaters and sister loving twats.”

Grace burst out laughing and shook her head at him, “Why aren’t there more guys like you out there?”

“What do you mean?”

“I told you last night,” she shrugged. “Your handsome, you make me laugh, make me smile, you get the demands of diving, you understand why I do what I do, what we do. Why can’t I find someone like that?”

“But you have,” He said after a pause.

“What?

“You say you haven’t found a guy that does all those things, but you have, you have me.”

“Matty…” Grace trailed off, stunned.

“Forget about it,” he cleared throat. “Forget I said anything, I was being stupid.” He threw back last of his drink and stood. “I should get going, let you get on with your day.”

“Matty,” she placed a hand on his. “Don’t go.” 

He sat back down again and picked at a spot on the table. “Matty,” she started.

“Just forget it, Grace,” he cut her off. “It was a long night, and I’ve clearly not had enough coffee. I know that…I know I’m not…”

“Not what?”

“Not what you’re looking for,” he shook his head. “We’re friends, teammates, I’m two years younger.”

“That doesn’t matter,” she insisted.

“It was a slip,” he continued as though she hadn’t spoken. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter,” she said. “Did you mean it?”

He refused to look up from the table. “Matty,” she pressed gently.

“Yes,” he admitted, finally. “I meant it. You’re incredible Grace. Any guy would be lucky to have you.”

“Well, go on then,” Grace said in a teasing tone. “Ask me properly.”

“Huh?” Matty lifted his head up sharply.

“You heard me,” she grinned at him.

“Um,” cleared throat. “Grace, would you like to go out with me sometime?”

“Pretty sure we’re already on a date, Matty,” she smiled at him.

He blinked a few times as he thought through what she’d said, and a wide grin broke out on his face. “Yeah, yeah, I guess we kind of are.”

Grace rose from the table and held her hand out to him. “Come on, let’s go back to mine. I think cuddling on the sofa watching telly sounds like a great way to spend some of our Sunday off.”

He took her offered hand and stood as Grace threaded their fingers together. Outside the sun was shining bright, the air warming as the morning chill faded away. At the end of the street, she stopped and turned to face him. “What’s up,” he asked.

Grace said nothing but brought her hand up to his cheek. She lifted on her toes a little to seal her lips with his. It was gentle and sweet, and far too short for his liking when she pulled away. It was a beginning, he knew, as they continued on the path home, to what he hoped was a very long journey.


End file.
